English 7 @ Uninorte

To cheat or not to cheat?

2006-05-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

Part One: What are some methods students use to cheat? Is cheating at the high school and university level a serious crime? Why? Support your ideas, using examples and/or anecdotes, in paragraph of at least seven sentences.

Part Two: Check out these articles on cheating:

Quarter of Students Cheating (BBC)
Survey: Many students say cheating's OK (CNN)

Do you agree or disagree with the facts in these articles? Can you find any other articles (in Spanish or English) that you believe present a better picture of cheating in Colombia?

Part Three:
Did you like using blogs in this class?
Tell me about it...Click here to take the survery
You can also use this time to finish any previous blog postings, including today's on cheating.

Thinking about Intelligence

2006-03-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

Go to IQtest.com to test your IQ or to this Emotional Intelligence test. Answer the following questions on your blog today.

In what ways is a person intelligent?
How would you describe an intelligent person?
Which areas should be taken into account when considering what makes a person intelligent?
Which test did you take online and do you think it was a good indicator of your intelligence?

Support your answers. Feel free to refer to the paper on multiple intelligences from class.

Tuesday on your blog

2006-03-10T16:10:00.000-05:00

1. This week's challenge is to find new words ending in -ate and beginning in dis-.

List as many words as you can find in your dictionary or even try using a thesaurus.

You also need to post one word (the newer it is to you and your classmates, the better) with a definition (in your own words) in English and a sentence using the word.

So, here's my example, words beginning in ex-:

Meaning of ex-: out
Words using the prefix ex-: exit, expel, exclamation, excursion, extinguish, extreme, extinct, exterior, extension
Example: My friends and I went on an excursion to Cabo de la Vela last week. It was beautiful!

2. Look at your classmates' blogs. The links are on the right side of this page (sections 9, 10, & 11). You need to comment on three of your classmates' blog postings.

3. Last of all, if you haven't done so already, you need to update your Blogger profile (perfil). Try adding a picture to your profile as well! I'll help with that if you want. When you log into Blogger, you should see a link named Edit Profile on the Dashboard screen. Click there to edit your profile.

For Sections 10 & 11

2006-02-20T12:55:00.000-05:00

Today in the lab:

Movie review activity using the Internet Movie Data Base. Choose a film that you have seen recently and write a short review of it in your own words (at least 1 paragraph). Information you should include in your review:

Title of the movie
Director's name
Genre
Names of principal actors and actresses
MPAA rating (G, PG, PG-13, R)
Short summary of the plot
Your opinion

Post your review on your blog! If you finish early, take some time to look at and comment on your classmates' blogs (under Section 10 or Section 11).

Erin's Favorite Actor Profile

2006-02-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

Here's an example of what I want you to post on your blog!

Zach Braff, one of my favorite actors, was born in 1975 in the state of New Jersey. He is the youngest of four children. After finishing high school in New Jersey, Zach attended Chicago's Northwestern University to do his undergraduate studies in film. Zach is best known for his role in the television series Scrubs, in which he plays the wacky medical resident Dr. John "J.D." Dorian. Recently, Zach wrote, directed, and starred in his first feature film called Garden State after the nickname of his own home state. In addition, he won a Grammy in February of 2005 for "Best Compilation Soundtrack For A Motion Picture" for this same movie. It was while he was creating the soundtrack that he met his current girlfriend, singer and songwriter Bonnie Somerville. He also briefly dated one of the movie'sother stars, Natalie Portman, who is known for her roles in films such as the new Star Wars Trilogy. It's too bad that Scrubs isn't on tv much here in Barranquilla!

For this assignment, you will need to look up information online about your favorite actor, singer, or other famous person. You will then write a profile of that person similar to the George Clooney profiles we worked on in class. Remember, YOU MAY NOT COPY AND PASTE DIRECTLY FROM THE INTERNET OR YOU WILL RECEIVE A FAILING GRADE ON THIS ASSIGNMENT!

A Writer's Checklist

2006-01-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

(with thanks to James Houston)

1. Write a lot. Writing is an activity, physical as well as mental, & you learn how to do it well by practice.
2. Read a lot. Fiction, poetry, essays, autobiography. Good writers are your best teachers.
3. Read it aloud. When you have finished something, listen to it.
4. Use concrete & specific language. Look for strong verbs. Be honest.

Language Learning Self-Assessment

2006-01-18T15:10:00.000-05:00

This is your first homework assignment (shouldn't take more the 5 minutes, so don't worry). By completing this survey, I will better be able to understand what your goals in this course are, both of yourself and of me.

Click here to take survey

Why blog?

2006-01-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Here's some reasons for blogging in the language classroom from the BBC Teaching English site.

"One of the best reasons is to provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Here are some other reasons for using blogs:

To provide extra reading practice for students.This reading can be produced by the teacher, other students in the same class, or, in the case of comments posted to a blog, by people from all over the world.
As online student learner journals that can be read by their peers. The value of using learner journals has been well documented. Usually they are private channels between teacher and student. Using a blog as a learner journal can increase the audience.
To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level. The Internet has a bewildering array of resources that are potentially useful for your students. The problem is finding and directing your learners to them. For this reason, you can use your tutor blog as a portal for your learners.
To increase the sense of community in a class. A class blog can help foster a feeling of community between the members of a class, especially if learners are sharing information about themselves and their interests, and are responding to what other students are writing.
To encourage shy students to participate. There is evidence to suggest that students who are quiet in class can find their voice when given the opportunity to express themselves in a blog.
To stimulate out-of-class discussion. A blog can be an ideal space for pre-class or post-class discussion. And what students write about in the blog can also be used to promote discussion in class.
To encourage a process-writing approach. Because students are writing for publication, they are usually more concerned about getting things right, and usually understand the value of rewriting more than if the only audience for their written work is the teacher.
As an online portfolio of student written work. There is much to be gained from students keeping a portfolio of their work. One example is the ease at which learners can return to previous written work and evaluate the progress they have made during a course.
To help build a closer relationship between students in large classes. Sometimes students in large classes can spend all year studying with the same people without getting to know them well. A blog is another tool that can help bring students together."

Welcome, Level Seveners 1.2006!

2006-01-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hi all! This blog, in addition to WebCT, will provide a place for me to convey information to you, for you to comment on what we're doing in class, and as a somewhere you can publically post the writing you create this semester.

Again, welcome, and Happy New Year!